Back Again
by Mentathial
Summary: The Master of the Clock, James Potter, killed unjustly before his time is given a second chance to save himself, his friends and family. Will he be able to do it? Especially with the Sorting hat doing everything to destroy his happiness?
1. Chapter 1

When his eyes opened, James stood in the corridor to the Gryffindor Common Room. He could see he portrait of the Fat Lady right ahead and began to walk towards when he realized he was naked. Well, that must have been quite some prank, he thought, before looking down and seeing he was clothed. Shaking his head at the accidental magic, he resumed his walk, absently reaching up to straighten his glasses, when he realized something was wrong. His glasses were gone, and so was his wand.

"What? Padfoot if this is another prank," he started before a figure made their way towards him.

"Dad? What are you doing in Hogwarts? Is everything okay? Is it the Death Ea…Harry! Lily! Why am I here? I need to go to them right now!"

When his attempts at apparition failed, he glared at the man, imposter, in front of him.

"Who are you and why have you brought me here? Tell your Master, I will never bow to him! And leave the memory of my dead father alone, it is not yours to taint!"

"James Fleamont!"

Despite knowing it was an illusion or some gruesome form of emotional torture, James' head still turned at the sound of his Mother's voice. He hadn't heard that voice outside of memories in two years now and yet his battle instincts had him pointing a hand at her in warning to stay back. If the Death Eaters thought him helpless without his wand, they had another thing coming.

Stopping where she was, the imposer said, "When you were four you fell off your toy broom and broke a leg, but you did not want to tell Charlus or I so you went to Lippy, our head elf. You started to fall in love with Lily Evans in your third year and the first person you spoke about this was me. Sirius was outraged when he found out that he wasn't the first. Sirius turned up at our floo at midnight that November as Padfoot, covered in cuts and shaking from the after effects of the cruciatus. We went to get Regulus but he wouldn't come with us, someone needed to take care of Walburga he said. I always did say Cousin Walburga was a woman who suffered from the effects of in breeding more than anyone else, except perhaps her niece Bellatrix. The night before you married Lily, you came to your Father and I scared that something would go wrong at the wedding but we told you that as sure as the cloak the protects us from death before our times, as inevitable as the death that we untimely befriend, is the success of a marriage born out of true love."

"All those memories could have been stolen!" His voice was shaky but James was resolute. He would not play Death Eater games while his wife and son were in danger.

"That may be so, my son, but can this be impersonated?"

Saying so, Euphemia Potter turned into a falcon and James realized what had happened. He had died. He only hoped Lily and Harry had had bough time to make it out. He knew Padfoot and Moony would help them get to the Potter House in France which was under another Fidelus Charm. But Peter….how was he? Had they killed him? He refused to believe that his best friend would betray them, no; they must have tortured it out of him. Oh, Peter.

"James?"

His father's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Dad!"

"Come here son, we have much to speak of and very little time to do so."

Charlus Potter's tone was grave and years of instinct had James walking by his side, eager to hear what wisdom his Father had to impart.

"You know of the Tale of the Three Brothers, son. Now I must tell you what I learned only after I died, a secret of our house lost to time. The Hallows are real my boy. They are an evil temptation and only our ancestor managed to create a hallow that wasn't seeped into blood or against the laws of nature. A cloak that would hide your from any enemy, looking to your harm, until old age or disease should take you to greet death like an old friend."

"My cloak is a hallow?"

"Yes son and as Master of the Cloak, killed unjustly before his time, you have an option. You can return or go ahead. Not as a ghost but as a living breathing person, you can return to your son, but the cloak only protects you once and not against everything. Remember that when you make your choice."

"Is there a choice? My wife and son are in danger! Of course, I will return. How long have I been gone? Voldemort could have found them! I need to return! Now!"

"James, you won't be returning to Lily and Harry."

Stopping short at his Father's grave voice and the implications, James' heart fell. He was too late. He had failed to protect his family. He might as well as join them in afterlife except, Voldemort was still there. Alive. He could destroy that bastard before he tore apart any other families! Padfoot and Moony were still fighting and he couldn't leave his brothers to suffer alone. No, he would return. He had a family to avenge.

"I...I will still go back. The Order needs me! Sirius needs me. He lost Regulus already and Peter, he won't, I can't let him loose me too. I, I just, could I apologize to Lily and Harry first?"

"Son, you won't be returning to Sirius either."

His mother's voice was soft as she ran a hand through James' hair even as crumpled under her touch. Was Sirius dead too?

"No, _mac, _you will be returning to your eleventh birthday James. When you became the master of the clock. This will be the last time the clock will protect you from untimely death though. Make sure to live well into old age for us, child."  
Saying so Euphemia let him go and Charlus came forward, placing a hand on James' shoulder.  
"Are you sure son?"

"Bold as a Gryffindor, Dad," James said, drawing an imaginary sword, even as tears glistened in his eyes. He would be saying good-bye to his parents again.  
"Remember when you see the younger us, they won't know about this. Also, don't forget to live, a second childhood is a joy," Euphemia started.

"And make sure Walburga doesn't treat those boys too badly," Charlus added.

"Treat Lily better sooner," Euphemia finished before the two of them vanished and James opened his eyes to look at his ceiling in Potter manor.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One

A/N- It's my birthday in two hours! This is probably the last thing I will write as a teenager so, here goes.

_An eleven-year-old boy runs behind another shouting while the other boy with messier hair and a pair of spectacles slipping down his nose laughs. Two other boys follow them, the sandy-haired one explains something to the blonde, with elaborate hand gestures. _

James looked at the ceiling of his childhood bedroom, the room he one day wanted to give his son. His eyes fell on the framed photograph of him with his parents. He knew in a few years it would be replaced with one with four boys, his parents, Hope Lupin and Riana Pettigrew. Soon, after the Evans' would join their family photograph, without Petunia of course.

_They are thirteen and laughing in the kitchen, as the house elves ask them to take more food. It's Sirius' fourteenth birthday. James slides over another plate to Remus, knowing his friend must be tired._

As he steps off the bed, James stumbles over his feet and lands in front of the broom that went with him to Hogwarts. Once he became Captain, his Dad had brought him another broom, but James knew he wanted Harry to learn from this. His heart fell when he realized he wouldn't see his son for years now, if ever.

_They are sixteen and returning from the forbidden forest when Evans finds them. She is both furious and concerned and ends up hugging him once Sirius explains everything, Remus' head pillowed on his lap as the boy sleeps off another full moon. She hugs James for the first time the next month as they return him with a scratch on his face, to her waiting in the common room with hot chocolate and pain potions._

As he looks in the mirror and sees the shock of hair his son would inherit, James' resolve hardens. He would try his best to protect his family, even if Lily never became a part of it or Harry never existed. How could he love her now, when she was a child? Looking over his face, he knows he can make her fall for him again, after all, she had loved him once and he was mature now, but it would be wrong, and he couldn't do wrong by Lily Iris Evans, not even for Harry. Smiling sadly, he leaves the room.

Lily wakes up, heart hammering, to the ceiling of her childhood bedroom, the strange dream still in her head. Only, it wasn't a dream. James had died. And now she was ten again.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note.

I am sorry this isn't an update and thanks for still following this story. 

Hey guys, thanks for still reading this. I swear I am not abandoning the story or putting it on a hiatus. I have just been extremely busy with college, personal life, and health challenges. I recently got diagnosed with Bipolar II and am learning to navigate life with it. It's been a hard few years and finally having a diagnosis helps and fanfiction has been a lot of support, especially all of you. Despite right out, I don't know what kind of updating schedule will help, but I promise to try. It's just everything exhausts me right now. However, you can hope for an update before October ends. On a happier note, I published my first book of poetry. If you can do give it a read. It's on, amazon. com, amazon. in, amazon. co. uk, kobo, googlebooks, and ibooks in paperback and e-book format. Or you can buy it straight from NotionPress. com and get a discount using the coupon code "READER". It's called "Diary of a Twenty-Something: A Collection of Teenage Musings" by Siya. Let me know what you think here or on my blog roongtaanjali. wordpress .com (without spaces)

And I started a new Harry Potter story about Sirius going back in time after OoTp. It's cliche but give it a read? And recommend your favourite fanfics. If you have any tips on life with Chronic Pain or Bipolar please help.

I am sorry this isn't an update. Also, I am looking for beta readers for my stories. And if you have any idea about where you want the story to go, please pitch in.

Thanks a lot for being my side people.

Love,  
Anjali.


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